Media Watch

A program with Tucson connections could have global implications for reporters in all facets of their career paths.

Reporting Unlimited, the brainchild of UA professor and international correspondent Mort Rosenblum, is off and running, with a focus on providing a platform to help journalists in a variety of career steps.

"The idea for Reporting Unlimited was to create an international reporting center," said John de Dios, Reporting Unlimited's social-media coordinator (and a Tucson Weekly contributor). "The goal is to foster a conversation and dialogue about news, and how everything ties together on a global scale."

As uncertainty prevails within the traditional journalism model, Reporting Unlimited is attempting to act as a portal for information that can be beneficial on a number of levels.

"We are not a large organization," de Dios said. "We're on a more-personal level, where dialogue can be had. We encourage contributors to talk about what's going on—be it local, national, whatever. It's a big deal to be involved, and it's important to stay in contact."

Reporting Unlimited is also focusing on different tiers of advice based upon the level of knowledge of the journalists who participate. While much of the information is discussed through forums online, RU plans to host workshops in Tucson as well. They started with a pilot workshop in March.

"We had three different categories (at the workshop): professionals, grad students and undergrads," de Dios said. "I think it was pretty successful, because we got an idea of what grads and undergrads get out of workshops, and what professionals want to get out of it as well. We want to help give them training since a lot of them have been laid off and are trying to get back in. They're interested in skills-type stuff. The undergraduates want to know how to get to the story. The graduates want to know how to deal with the story once they get there—how do they market it? How do they get paid for it? If you do it right, you can still get paid if you go after it."

Reporting Unlimited's reach goes well beyond Tucson—Rosenblum spends much of his time in France—which makes an online platform a logical centralized location. The best way to check on Reporting Unlimited's resources is through the organization's Facebook page.

"We decided to go with Facebook, because Facebook has an incredibly enormous global presence. It's a really good place to reach a large audience," said de Dios, who added that the organization's activities can also be tracked through Twitter. "It is important to pay attention to everything that goes on around us. Everything is connected, and that's our goal."

AZPM REPORTERS RECEIVE ACCOLADES

Reporters Gisela Telis and Michel Marizco were recently honored for their work with Arizona Public Media.

Telis, an online editor and reporter at the UA public-broadcasting outlet, received a 2011-2012 Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism. The fellowships focus on mental-health treatment in rural, tribal and underserved communities. Telis received one of six fellowships awarded to American journalists.

Marizco won a National Headliner Award for his piece "Mexican Ghost Towns: The Drug War and Cartels Lead to an Exodus in Northern Mexico." The story garnered the Fronteras reporter second-place in the Feature and Human Interest Story category for broadcast radio networks and syndicators.

LET THE 'TERMINATOR' JOKES COMMENCE!

If you think science fiction sometimes gets uncomfortably close to the truth, you might have noticed those bus-stop ads for SkyNet and decided that it was a good idea to get off the grid and stock up on robot-resistant ammo.

But you can temper your concerns for the time being. The official story is that SkyNet is part of KVOA Channel 4's citywide multi-camera platform.

"News 4 Tucson SkyNet integrates traffic, weather and safety monitoring with cutting-edge technology that provides 360-degree views from virtually any vantage point in the Tucson metro area," says a press release available at kvoa.com, the station's website.

The system is similar to one employed by rival KOLD Channel 13. But the KVOA version features hi-def cameras, which, depending on your point of view, could be a simple technological upgrade, or a way to more closely monitor human activity.

FORMER KIIM DJ MENDIBLES DIES

Charlie Mendibles, who for years occupied the overnight shift at KIIM FM 99.5, has died at the age of 63.

"Charlie was with us almost 10 years," KIIM program director Buzz Jackson said in an email. "I remember him as a family guy. He cared very much about his kids and family. He was good on the air, reliable and dependable, and he always had some great stories from his time in Phoenix radio."

Mendibles was laid off a while back as a result of a Citadel downsizing. KIIM was one of the last stations in the market to have an on-air presence 24 hours a day, and Mendibles lost his position when the company changed its strategy and voice-tracked most of the night and overnight shifts.

KGUN FILLS MORNING-NEWS VACANCY

KGUN Channel 9 has agreed to terms with Corinne Hautala for the Good Morning Tucson anchor position vacated by Kimberly Romo. Hautala has been filling in for the past few weeks and was formally given the opportunity on Monday, May 14.

Hautala joined KGUN as a reporter last year. A graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, Hautala was a morning anchor at WTLV in Jacksonville, Fla., and also worked in Hastings, Neb., prior to returning to Arizona.